A “rogue” police officer is charged with killing six people

South African Police Service

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October 11, 2024 | 02:50 PM ET |

A South African police sergeant was charged on Friday with killing six individuals in a series of killings that began in 2019 in order to receive insurance benefits of at least 10 million rand ($570,000).

According to a police statement, Rachel Kutumela was arrested on Thursday while working at a police station in Senwabarwana, a tiny hamlet located roughly 55 kilometers from Polokwane.

Her victims were known to her and were from destitute and disadvantaged background and some were disabled or mentally challenged,” the statement said.

Sgt. Kutumela is accused of six murders and of claiming at least 10 million rand from funeral cost insurance and life policies that she had taken out on behalf of her victims, it said.

The incidents began in 2019 when the insured persons would be found dead and their bodies dumped in different areas,” the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said.

The body of one man, who was disabled, was recovered from a dam while a woman was discovered burned to death in a shack, the authority said.

This is a premeditated case,” NPA provincial spokeswoman Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi told local broadcaster ENCA outside the court, which postponed the case to October 18 for a bail hearing.

Prosecutors said they expected more arrests.

In a statement, Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu commended police “for their tireless and meticulous work in bringing this rogue officer to justice.”

The nature of these crimes is deeply disturbing, with the victims meeting their ends in various violent ways,” Mchunu said. “Such cruelty and disregard for human life is utterly reprehensible, and it is all the more shocking when perpetrated by someone sworn to uphold the law and protect the innocent.”

This is a developing story.